Plains churches deliver Thanksgiving baskets

Three churches joined forces earlier this week to make Thanksgiving a bit better for families of Plains.

Nearly a dozen men and women gathered at the United Methodist Church in Plains Tuesday afternoon to assemble this year's Thanksgiving Baskets for 15 families – 67 people – in the Plains area. The baskets were made possible by the United Methodist Church in Plains and Paradise, the First Lutheran Church in Plains, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Plains. Members of the Paradise Community Circle, a group comprised of women from the United Methodist Churches in Paradise and Plains, also contributed to the purchase of the food.

It took the volunteers Tuesday about 30 minutes to fill the boxes, which had 19 different items, including a turkey, dinner fixings, and dessert, for each family. A "Thanksgiving Blessing" card was also placed in each box. The size of the turkey depended on the size of the family, said Ellen Childress, one of the coordinators. She also said the bigger families received more of the specific items. The boxes of goodies were ready by 3 p.m. for pickup.

The United Methodist Church and the First Lutheran Church have been putting together the Thanksgiving Baskets for more than 20 years, according to Cliff Stephens, one of the volunteers. This was the first year that the Mormon Church joined up with the other two churches. However, other churches in the community also deliver food to needy families in the area, said Childress, who added that the recipients are appreciative of the church's efforts.

"It's a good thing. It's what we should do, helping folks who may need a hand at Thanksgiving," said Bill Haines, a member of the Lutheran Church and a volunteer. Childress said McGowan Grocery gave the churches the Thanksgiving special to help with the costs.

Childress called 17 families this year to find out if they wanted the baskets. She said two of them were thankful, but declined because they were doing better financially this year. This is the second consecutive year that the recipients picked up their baskets at the United Methodist Church in Plains. In the past, volunteers from the churches delivered the baskets. Childress said they normally have families from Plains and Paradise, but this year only Plains.

"There are a lot of people in the community that don't have a lot of money and if we can help, that's great," said Andy Gonzalez, a first-time helper. "And you never know when you're going to need help yourself sometime," he said.

Volunteers also included: Kathy Gregg, Lyla Sears, Marv and Margo Tanner, Whitney Spurr, and her 4-year-old daughter Kendra.